What are these? For Taps, Dies, and what else?

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I am in the middle of a shop clean-out and I am removing rust and refurbishing things as I go. I found some of these. I am pretty sure that this first set are for using taps. As in almost positive.

Image One: Regular tap wrenches?

01_Tap_Wrenches.jpg

So that is all fine and dandy until we get to this set, that I also assume are tap wrenches.
Image Two: Special tap wrenches?

02_Tap_Wrenches.jpg

Specifically, the two on the left. Notice that they have this extra piece in the handle. That bit can sit in the center, the left, or to the right. Remember that I took these apart to remove rust and to clean them. This is what I found inside.
Of course, I wanted the part closest to the camera to be in focus. There are "grooves" in there. You see the bit that is in focus further away? That part has a bit that sticks out. The part that sticks up is flat on side and sloped on the other.
Image 3

03_Tap_Wrenches.jpg

Here is a larger picture of the disassembled part after cleaning.
Image 4
04_Tap_Wrenches.jpg

After I took it apart, I was able to guess at the purpose. Image two shows that there is a part that can move to the left, center, or the right. As this is rotated, it rotates the bit that sticks up so that the flat side / ramp side will rotate from left, to forward, to right. When this is pointing in one direction (say right), you can spin the bottom portion in one direction but not the other. If I switch it to the left, then I can spin this in the other direction. As it travels in the direction it can spin, the grove moves up the ramp (or more accurately, it pushes the pin up) and can free-wheel. The other direction hits the flat face. if I pull that bar straight forward then it hits the sides of the pin and it cannot free-wheel in either direction.

So my guess is that these are Tap wrenches that have a ratchet action. Never seen anything like it. Did I mention that my Grandfather was a tool and die maker.

That brings us to this odd thing. This image shows how I found it.

Image 5
06_thingy.jpg

This image is after I took it apart (before cleaning, rust is all gone now)
Image 6

07_thingy.jpg

Those two holes drilled into the side, those are threaded, if a hole is drilled through the top. Are you ready for my odd guess? My guess is that I can stick a rod (square or round) into the hole in the top. I can then use screws, which are not included (sadly), to secure this in place. Then, the two round metal pits can be used to clamp something onto the end; for example, a buffing wheel or similar. I spent time thinking about this, but it is the best guess that I have.

Is this a die wrench? The square opening is smaller than any die wrench I have ever seen.
Image 7

08_die_wrench.jpg

If you spin the green part of the handle on one of the sides, this opens / closes the ball. It does not make sense as a die wrench because it is just too small. Also, you cannot push a square rod through this because the handle goes all the way through. I am stymied on this one. I cannot build a good argument for anything useful that this might do.

[Brian Hale]

They're all tap wrenches with the 2 odd ones being ratcheting/reversible
The other is a mandrel for a slitting saw

[Paul F Franklin]

As you say, the first couple are tap wrenches. Ratcheting tap wrenches are fairly common, and useful for tapping holes in tight quarters as you might imagine.

I think you are right about the arbor, used to mount grinding wheels or buffing wheels to a motor shaft. Given the length of the threaded portion, it may also be for something like a shaper cutter. Early shopsmiths had several similar arbors for mounting shaper cutters, molding heads, and the like to the shopsmith motor shaft.

The last one is almost certainly a tap wrench as well, not for dies. It tightens onto the square portion at the end of the tap. You don't give an idea of size, but taps come in very small sizes. I have several tap holders of both of those styles in several sizes.

[Stew Denton]

Hi Andrew,

Picture #5 & 6 are definitely of an arbor, as was mentioned above. I had one when I was young. As mentioned, they are so you can use a buffing wheel on a motor. The adds for those things were often in the back of magazines like popular mechanics. The arbor thus converted an old motor out a washing machine, etc., into a buffer.

This back in the day when money was tight, and you made do or did without. You could also buy a cheap mount set up so you could mount the motor on a board. I think they came in sets of 3...I had the mounts as well. I don't think that those type of arbors would be a good choice for a grinding wheel though. People still remembered the 1930s then. I don't see much like those things much any more.

The big end slides over the motor shaft and is held in place with the two set screws. The buffer wheel goes in between the discs and is secured by the nut. In photo #5 the buffer goes in between the two discs.

Regards,

Stew

[Jim Koepke]

The last one looks like it may have different sized openings. This is similar to some of my tap wrenches using the same principle, though of different design.

jtk

[steven c newman]

Then, there is something like this...
Stanley Router Plane, tapped out.JPG

Comes in handy, when using the BIG taps...

[Tom M King]

I'll try to remember to post some pictures of big tap wrenches tomorrow. I have to take them first.

That last one that Andrew posted looks pretty fancy!

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Wow, and now I know what these are... Thanks to all.

[Tom M King]

I thought to take these pictures, this morning. I think this is what's considered a large tap wrench. I bought it cheap off of ebay for rethreading some 3/4", 7/8", and 1" holes in a cast iron tractor block.

I didn't end up using it for that. Those holes required too much torque to use that in front of you for a horizontal hole. Maybe it would be okay for a vertical hole. The 1" treads required, just guessing, between 150, and 175 ft. lbs. of torque to cut the threads I ended up using a 2" breaker bar, and 8 pt. sockets so it could be moved easily back into position where I could push down with my weight. The 1" was hard. The 7/8" significantly easier, and the 3/4" was like cutting butter with the long breaker bar.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

That is huge compared to what I have there.

[Tom M King]

I think it will work with this tap. It's an Acme 2"-4. Also off ebay for cutting threads in Delrin, or oil filled Nylon for bench vise nuts.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I almost soiled myself, that things is HUGE!

[steven c newman]

When Dad died, I was able to "rescue" his collection of taps...
taps.jpg
This is how he kept them....some small...some not so small..
big taps.jpg
Some of the collection came in a "vintage" box...
box.jpg

There was also a few for threading pipe...
5 taps.jpg
Smallest is a 1/4", with a 3/8" beside it.....I'd have to look up that big one, as I can't remember the size...somewhere around 1" or bigger?

[Tom M King]

Those last ones look like taps for plumbing NPT tapered theads.

I bought the large tap sets, for that tractor job, used off of ebay. I was able to get them really sharp using the DMT diamond files.

https://www.amazon.com/DMT-D2K-Dia-S...0768462&sr=8-1

[Tom M King]

I almost soiled myself, that things is HUGE!

I bought that tap for this stainless steel 2" 4' Acme rod that also came off ebay. I have everything I need to make another woodworking bench, except for time. No one bid against me on either the rod, or the tap. That tap cuts both the starting threads, and finishes them.